Teacher Resources

Blending creativity and curriculum

Research shows that the regular practice of art can improve observational skills, productivity, and adaptability, which is tied to innovation and personal well-being. The AMA Education Center presents this page as a resource for educators seeking visual arts activities and ideas that are fun, timely, and support their curriculum.

This page will be updated periodically. Check back for new ideas!

SCROLL TO DISCOVER:

Inspired by Pompeii: The Immortal City and One Point Five Degrees
Field Trips
Month by Month Art Project Ideas
Arts Education: A Creative Framework
Exhibitions & Events
Community Gallery
Programs for Kids and Families
Outside the Lines: Reimagine the AMA

Inspired by

Pompeii: The Immortal City at the AMA
March 30 - June 23, 2024

In just 24 hours, Pompeii and Herculaneum in Rome were buried by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Today, advanced research continues to uncover the extraordinary art and artifacts of Pompeii. Pompeii: The Immortal City features the most recent of those discoveries, blending disciplines including visual arts, language arts, science, technology, geology, and archeology.

Teaching Kit

Click to view or download

Left to right: A photograph of a Plinian eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 by the United States National Park Service; Pompeii S.N. BOCCALE A FACCINA; Fall of Icarus © Pio Foglia, Fotografica Foglia Napoli

Coloring Pages: Our Natural World

One Point Five Degrees: An Immersive Art Experience runs concurrently with Pompeii: The Immortal City.
Together, these exhibitions present unique opportunities to discuss topics related to our natural world.

More to the Story

We asked our friends at the Arlington Public Library to recommend books from their collection inspired by Pompeii: The Immortal City and One Point Five Degrees. We hope they provide literary inspiration for your students and your lesson planning. Literally, check them out!

Click anywhere in the image above to see reading lists for adults and kids inspired by Pompeii: The Immortal City.

Click anywhere in the image above to see reading lists for kids inspired by One Point Five Degrees.

Field Trips

Group Rates

Groups of 10-50 people receive a discount off regular admission. The Traditional Gallery group rate is $12 per person. The Immersive Gallery group rate is $15 per person. Admission to our Community Gallery is free. School groups may pay by check upon arrival or pay in advance by visiting our ticketing site. Contact us for details. If your group is larger than 50 people, please contact us at least two weeks in advance of your visit.

Guided Tours

Our knowledgeable staff and volunteers are available to give your group a guided tour. To request a tour, contact Matt Randolph at least two weeks in advance, and please be sure to specify your name, school, and the number of guests.

Month by Month

Educators from all disciplines are excited to discuss familiar topics in new ways. We are, too! Our Education Center pulled from the AMA’s diverse exhibition history to inspire your curriculum today. This monthly idea calendar will continue to grow, so bookmark this page!

JANUARY

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

Harlem Renaissance: A Celebration of Art & Culture at the AMA in 2013

The Harlem Renaissance by Black History in Two Minutes or so with Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Easy MLK Day drawing project for kids w/ ZENTANGLE by Mr. Schuette’s Art Class

FEBRUARY

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Triple Portrait of Charles I
by Kehinde Wiley
30 Americans at the AMA in 2021

Interview with Kehinde Wiley by the Brooklyn Museum, 2015

Kehinde Wiley-inspired self portrait collage project by ArtistYear Create

MARCH

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH and MLB OPENING DAY!

Linedrives and Lipstick: The Untold Story of Women’s Baseball exhibition at the AMA in 2013

Baseball Girls documentary. Timeline at baseballhall.org/women-in-baseball

Origami baseball cap project by HandyArt

APRIL

EARTH DAY

The Tetons-Snake River from Ansel Adams: Masterworks
at the AMA in 2014

Interview with Ansel Adams by CBS Sunday Morning, 1979

Click to download three coloring pages about the Earth, Sky, and Oceans

WORLD ART DAY & LEONARDO DA VINCI’S BIRTHDAY (APRIL 15)

Leonardo da Vinci-inspired popsicle stick bridge model by NumaVIG

MAY

ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Hiroshige, Along the Eastern Road: Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido at the AMA in 2018-19

Conserving Hiroshige’s Kanagawa, 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road, Kentoni Collection by the Muscarelle Museum of Art

Looking East: How Japan Inspired Monet, Van Gogh, and Other Western Artists by Asian Art Museum

Chinese Dragon art project by Rubie Art Studio

JUNE

PRIDE MONTH

Keith Haring: Against All Odds
at the AMA in 2019

Keith Haring-inspired art projects for kids, presented by Traveling Art Room

JUNETEENTH

William H. Johnson: An American Modern
at the AMA, 2013

Echoes from the Hill: A Juneteenth Celebration of Arlington’s Black History by City of Arlington

Learn about the artful history of Juneteenth in Arlington:
Art Ignites Change

JULY

SUMMERTIME

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection
at the AMA in 2023

The Best Day (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift

Origami Butterfly by Art & Craft Gallery

AUGUST

WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY DAY (AUGUST 19)

Vivian Maier: Lost and Found at the AMA in 2016 and Milton H. Greene: Women at the AMA in 2017

Photography for Kids Lesson 1: Rule of Thirds by Mrs. O’s Art Studio

Photography for Kids Lesson 2: Finding the Light by Mrs. O’s Art Studio

SEPTEMBER

NATIONAL ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK (2nd WEEK IN SEPTEMBER)

Disney Art from Private Collections at the AMA in 2022

15 Awesome Disney-inspired DIYs by Craft Factory

Color Wheel School of Fish by Mrs. O’s Art Studio

FALL TEXAS TRADITION: HOMECOMING MUMS

inspired by Mumentous at the AMA in 2019:

How to make a paper homecoming mum by Patsy Greenway

OCTOBER

NATIONAL IMMIGRANTS DAY (OCTOBER 28)

Creative Courage
at the AMA in 2021

Kids Show & Tell Their Cultural Traditions by Hiho Kids

Kids Show and Tell Their Family & Culture (and try Jollibee) by HiHo Kids

Click here for several art project how-to videos that celebrate diverse cultures by UnitedArtAndEd

NOVEMBER

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
(DAY OF THE DEAD)

La Calavera Catrina from
José Guadalupe Posada: Legendary Printmaker of Mexico at the AMA in 2023-24

Who is José Guadalupe Posada and what is Dia de los Muertos?

Click to download three coloring pages about Dia de los Muertos by the AMA Education Center

Click here to take a deep dive into the art and times of José Guadalupe Posada.

DECEMBER

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Frank Lloyd Wright SAMARA: A Mid-Century Dream Home at the AMA in 2012-13

How to make a paper house by KIDS Crafts

My house poster project (more advanced) by Growingupwithu

Salt Snowflakes by Toddler at Play

Do you have project ideas to share? We’d love to hear from you!

Paper Crafts

inspired by A Knight's Tale (2022-23)

Using only paper, glue, and scissors, learn how to make a stained “glass” window, flat castle, sword, and flower crown. These craft project videos were inspired by our 2022-23 exhibition A Knight’s Tale and created by our Fall 2022 interns Madi and Sarah.

SEE ALL

The Importance of Art Education

A Creative Framework

Research shows two important truths about creativity. First, no person is inherently more creative than another. Second, anyone can make creativity a habit. Throughout time, history shows that people—regardless of background, race, ethnicity, or place—who made creativity a daily practice achieved incredible results in the arts as well as the sciences.

The National Core Arts Standards provide a framework for advancing students’ artistic understanding. This structure breaks down the developmental stages from Pre K through high school into ten anchor standards. In each stage, students build creative habits as they learn to:

Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Organize and develop ideas and work
Refine and complete artistic work
Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation
Convey meaning through the presentation
Perceive and analyze artistic work
Interpret intent and meaning
Apply criteria to evaluate work
Make art by synthesizing and relating knowledge and personal experiences
Deepen understanding by relating artistic ideas to societal, historical, and cultural contexts

Exhibitions & Events

Sound Bath & Chill with Arlington Yoga Center

Sunday, April 28

EXHIBITION: Pompeii: The Immortal City

Sunday, April 28

EXHIBITION: One Point Five Degrees

Sunday, April 28

VISIT OUR CALENDAR

Discover our free Community Gallery

Celebrating diversity and encouraging artistic expression

The AMA Community Gallery has the heart of a local art gallery and the soul of a community gathering place. Through an ambitious rotation of curated exhibits and programs, including Youth Art Month, the Gallery provides a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their unique perspectives and talents. Because we don’t charge admission to the Gallery, it makes the transformative power of art accessible to all, encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to explore, appreciate, and participate in the arts while fostering a shared sense of belonging.

Programs for Kids & Families

The AMA strives to give families tools that encourage a life-long relationship with art by cultivating skills of observation, creating personal connections, expand understanding, and encouraging creative expression. All of our programs relate to our exhibitions, which rotate regularly throughout the year, providing a variety of topics and experiences to inspire kids of all ages!

Outside the Lines:

Reimagine the AMA

To reimagine what a museum can be, you only have to step outside the lines and into the Arlington Museum of Art, which opened in the Arlington Entertainment District on March 30, 2024.

The new AMA blends traditional, immersive, interactive, and evolving art forms and programs in ways that inspire, entertain, engage, and reflect our community and our world.

Nurture the next generation of artists by supporting educational programs at the New AMA. Contact Chris Hightower at 817-275-4600 for sponsorship opportunities.

Teacher Resources

Blending creativity and curriculum

SCROLL TO DISCOVER:

Inspired by

Pompeii: The Immortal City at the AMAMarch 30 - June 23, 2024

Teaching Kit

Coloring Pages: Our Natural World

More to the Story

Field Trips

Group Rates

Guided Tours

Month by Month

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

Paper Crafts

inspired by A Knight's Tale (2022-23)

Using only paper, glue, and scissors, learn how to make a stained “glass” window, flat castle, sword, and flower crown. These craft project videos were inspired by our 2022-23 exhibition A Knight’s Tale and created by our Fall 2022 interns Madi and Sarah.

SEE ALL

The Importance of Art Education

A Creative Framework

Exhibitions & Events

Sound Bath & Chill with Arlington Yoga Center

EXHIBITION: Pompeii: The Immortal City

EXHIBITION: One Point Five Degrees

VISIT OUR CALENDAR

Discover our free Community Gallery

Programs for Kids & Families

Outside the Lines:

Reimagine the AMA

Quick Links

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP

Pompeii: The Immortal City at the AMA
March 30 - June 23, 2024